News Talk for the week of June 14

There‚Äôs some shuffling going on up at City Hall. The city posted the position of Director of Planning at the Office of Community Development on Craig‚Äôs List, at a very nice salary of about $1,500 a week. We also heard that Phil Erccolini is going to get the job and Paul Mackey will get Phil‚Äôs job.  Remember Phil? He‚Äôs the one that tried to salvage the mayors‚Äô condo conversion (some say rent control) ordinance before the aldermen and a large crowd of angry homeowners on the 27th of May. Someone should tell Phil not to lecture he was only there to answer questions. And we know careful readers will remember Paul. He‚Äôs the guy that runs those ‚ÄúSomerville First Time Home Buyers Seminars‚Äù with Cambridge realtors, and no Somerville representatives. Who says there is no loyalty here in Somerville? The more things change the more they stay the same. Next the mayor will be promoting Cindy The Loser, so he can move Joanne The Mouth up to management.

Inside sources told us we were wrong last week. And, as always, we‚Äôre willing to correct ourselves.   It wasn‚Äôt JUST Attorney Ann Thomas and Somerville Community Corporation that wanted to sneak through that rent control ordinance. We hear none other then the mayors‚Äô spokesman Tom Champion was the leading force in championing the SCC and Todd Kaplan‚Äôs cause to try and bring back rent control. Keep your eyes on the ball ladies and gentleman, they‚Äôre going to try and sneak it through. Unless, of course, you watch them carefully. Very carefully.
    

Still no results or findings in the Traffic & Parking missing money and we‚Äôre 6 months removed from the theft. Doesn‚Äôt it feel like this is going to take as long as it took to repair the Lowell St. bridge?   
    

The Visiting Nurses Association is celebrating 100 years of service here in Somerville with a gala celebration on Saturday June 24th at the Museum of Science. We wish them much success and another 100 years of dedicated service to our community.
    

The Somerville community lost a friend this week. Thomas ‚ÄúTommy‚Äù Sidoti has passed away. Tommy was a good friend to all who knew him and he will be sadly missed.   
    

Who‚Äôs thinking of running against our popular mayor Joe Cutatone next year? Sure he has his problems, but talk to the person on the street — he‚Äôs still popular. We hear that Lawrence Paolella is in, then we hear he‚Äôs out. But maybe he‚Äôs in. Tony LaFuente is in. Tony‚Äôs close friend and confidant John Buonomo said he‚Äôs with Tony if he decides to run. We hear Tony‚Äôs running. Mr. Important a.k.a. Jimmy Veneziano, has been sitting at his Ball Square headquarters debating whether he should run or not. We‚Äôre not sure if he can win but we know he has a small core of hard core supporters. The biggest guess around the city is Alderman Bill White. We know he‚Äôs getting a lot of encouragement from supporters who know how honest and dedicated he is, but will he make the big change from R to D on the voter list?   We‚Äôre watching and we will let you know first.  But for now it looks good for Mayor Joe.
    

We hear there is a movement in the city to go after a few ward alderman seats. Since Jack Connolly was unseated in ward 6, the progressives have taken aim at other loyal Curtatone supporters. News Talk hears they‚Äôre eyeing either Ward 2 or Ward 7. We‚Äôre praying they eye Ward 4.   
    

The rumor about Middlesex County Sheriff James DiPaola looking at Somerville for a new Middlesex County Jail House is not a rumor — it‚Äôs a fact. We heard DiPaola won over the mayor (who seems like he wants it) because he‚Äôs promising to include a new Somerville police station in it. We‚Äôre skeptical and not so sure a gray, ugly jail is really what Somerville needs. What about some open space? Or businesses that would help expand the city‚Äôs tax base? Wouldn‚Äôt those things be a better fit inside our 4.2 square miles than a building used to incarcerate people who can‚Äôt make bail?